Tomorrow I leave for close to three months in Europe! This is a bucket list trip (if that term hasn’t been too overused), similar to the Round the World trip that I took in 2011. I never did that “Eurail trip” that many people took before or after college. So now’s the time! I’m ready to get this one under my belt!
As with my Round the World trip, the planning has been much harder than I expected. When I was planning the 2011 trip, I wasn’t working! So I had all of my time free while putting that trip together. (Of course, as many of you know, just because you’re not working, there are always plenty of distractions that feed upon your time). But for this trip, the planning also had to be wedged in between all of the trip planning that I was doing for my clients, which has blossomed into a full time career the last few years. But I am now ready to explore some new places and revisit some old favorites as I travel through Europe for the next 86 days.
But…..before I head out……Whenever I’m getting ready for a trip, the questions that I get the most are about packing! I learned a lot about packing for my Round the World trip. And at that time was thrilled that I was able to travel with one checked bag and a medium sized backpack.
But as the trip proceeded, I realized it was too much to be dragging around the world, and I found myself mailing a bunch of stuff back that I wasn’t using. Since then, I’ve focused on traveling with only a carry on and a small backpack. So my challenge for this 86 day trip was to try to stick to that game plan.
Many of you have asked….so just what do you have packed in those two small bags. I have summarized the contents below. If you are interested in a more detailed list, I’d be happy to send one to you.
- PACKING LIST
- 5 pairs of pants; 6 tops; 1pr shorts (including plane outfit)
- Black cardigan “dressy” sweater; 2 necklaces and 2 scarves to dress up my outfits for dinner and concert nights
- pj’s; workout pants/top; bathing suit
- 4-5 of each: bras, underwear, socks; as well as, flat sink stopper; travel laundry sheets
- thermal underwear; hat/gloves; turtleneck; scarf; jacket; poncho; hand warmers (for layering in Iceland and Norway)
- Hiking shoes; tennis shoes; black sandals
- Toiletries/medicines (they take up just about as much room as the clothes!)
- Electronics — camera, laptop, battery chargers, European plugs, AA/AAA batteries, flashlight
- Foam roller; lacrosse ball; exercise band for working out in my room
See some of my previous posts for tips on how to mix and match outfits so that it doesn’t seem you’re wearing the same thing every day and how to use e-bags to organize your suitcase.
Come Explore With Me as I (mostly) ride the rails in Europe!!
